In the past few months I’ve been talking to whomever would listen about Twitter and the value of communicating with the larger community through social networks.  Here at the Tacoma Rescue Mission it is required that staff working with the New Life Program and other programs get involved with Facebook or Twitter to keep in touch with graduates and clients.  I think it will be especially useful for our Alumni department, which needs to touch base with graduates who may have moved back to their home state or city, making it hard to maintain effective support.  With social media/internet it is easy and inexpensive to keep touch with large groups of people.  

While I’m just a neophyte to social media I’ve got some theories on how it can best be used:

1.  Build a large LOCAL network: Twitter and Facebook people often encourage the growth of your network getting as many “followers” as possible, regardless of who or where they might  be.  I disagree.  While I follow a few sellect people outside my circle of influence I find the real power of these networks is  connecting with those who are in your local area or have some affinity for you or your organization.  

2.  Share what excites you:  Nothing worse than a series of FB/Twitter updates about inane details, yet most people do it regularly.  My experience says people don’t mind hearing some of the details of your life, as long as it’s something that you are passionate about or that you are learning.  Folks at the Mission should have lots of great stories, info, lessons to share about how you are changing lives.  Update your friends and family on these things! 

3.  FB/Twitter don’t take the place of FaceTime.  Yes, more and more people are socializing over the internet, but this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take time to touch base with people face to face.  I call it FACETIME, sitting across the table from a friend and chatting.  In fact, I think there is a cause and effect happening with these social networks.  People are connecting through more impersonal methods, thus making real FACETIME all the more valuable.  It has become even more important to get out and touch base with people.  This is why I’ve scheduled a series of Coffee events and dinners to connect socially with the supporters of the Mission and why I take the time to have coffee or lunch with various staff each day.  

4.  It’s Not Either/Or, it’s Both.  Don’t fool yourself that you can avoid getting connected through some form of social networking.  While next year may bring a different company/site for social networking and companies like FB/Twitter may fold, connecting over multiple channels is here to stay.  Your kids and grandkids are going to be doing it, it’ll be required for many jobs and you’ll avoid it to your peril.  Anyone under the age of 75 needs to get connected to this!  The thing is, it’s not FACETIME or FACEBOOK, it’s both.  You need to connect with the new technology and make the time to get together with people in real time.   

These are just some of my thoughts.  What do you think?  

DC 

It’s so easy to forget that everyone around you is carrying some weight of concern in their life.  We humans tend to judge everyone by the exterior appearance.  If they are smiling they must be happy right?

Unfortunately,  we also learn at an early age to put on masks that hide our true feelings.  It’s uncomfortable and awkward to let people know of our deepest disappointments and fears.  Somehow we forget that others have those same kinds of pressures and concerns we do.  Even if someone seems like they have it all together, they still need your love and encouragement.

Make a plan and a habit to encourage the people you see today – regardless of whether or not they seem to need it.  And don’t go half-way either.  Really communicate what makes them special.  ”You have so many great qualities.  I really appreciate you.” or “I can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate the hard work you do” will do wonders in a persons life.  You’ll be surprised how by encouraging others you will feel better yourself.   

The amazing power of encouragment.  Use it wisely today.  

DC 

Over the years I’ve learned many leadership and personal lessons from people I’ve never even met.  Through the reading and study of history it is possible to gather insights and wisdom on decisions you are facing in your everyday life.  I’ve learned things from past Presidents such as Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, George Washington and Abe Lincoln, even though they lived in a time much different from my own.  

It’s not just political leaders, but others as well.  I’ve learned from people like Thomas Watson (IBM), Jack Welch (GE) and Andy Grove (Intel) about business and management even though I’m in a totally different field of endeavor than they excelled in.  

All of these people have done the following: Learned from pressure situations, overcome difficulty, had to make tough decisions that affected others, had to create a vision and a better future, and had to square their actions with their moral compass. None has been more inspirational to me personally than Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II.  

Here are three lessons I learned from Winston that I hope will encourage you in your leadership, management and personal life.

1.  Be yourself.  Even though I’m a student of history, I’ve never known of a more peculiar person to rise to the position of leadership of a major country than Winston  Churchill.  And that’s saying something because generally speaking larger than life political leaders are all different than your typical person.  Even still Winston stood alone.  Known for odd work hours and a taste for the finer things in life, he created a unique environment aroud him that helped him that helped to stoke his greatness and particular gifts.  He was known to work late into the night, often until 2 or 3 in the morning and then sleep in until late in the day.  At which point he would dictate to a group of secretaries from his bed.  On occassion he would even dictate to them from the bathtub.  Strange.  Nevertheless, He was himself.  By focusing on his unique talents and honing his strange work habits he was able to achieve more than most.  In deed, he managed to lead the western world, write a multi-volume history of the war and acheive politcal victories.  Too often people are trying to fit someone else’s mold.  Don’t do it.  You are created unique, with special gifts, talents and abilities.  Focus on those things you do well and love doing.

2.  Be Persistent.  Winston stood virtually alone against Nazi Germany for many years while the rest of the world was distracted by other issues.  Continually he set a determined message before his country and the world, “Nazi Germany is a threat”.  It wasn’t until the Nazi’s were on the march across Europe that he was proven right.  Then he was catapulted from political failure to Prime Minister in short order.  How easily most of us are thrown off of our values and ideas.  The slightest challenge or discouragement and we abandon projects and ideas that we are excited about.  Be persistent in your dreams and in the courage of your convictions.  Don’t let someone else steal the excitement and fun of your vision.

3.  Belief in Destiny.  Winston Churchill believed he was destined for great things.  He believed it all of his life, even when he was unpopular and out of step with the rest of the world.  In the end, he was proven right.  The truth is, God has a plan and a destiny for every single person.  Yet many believe that their life is meaningless and pointless.  Nonsense!  I’ve never met any person who didn’t have gifts and talents within them that were unique and special.  Even at the Mission, where people are often discouraged and hopeless, there is unbounding talent and skill.  It’s just there to be used.  Don’t stop believing God has a plan for you. 

DC 

One of the familiar themes of this blog is that with the uncertainty all around us and the ever-changing economic landscape we all need to be life-long learners.  Here is a past blog about What I’m Learning.

Lately I’ve read two great mystery novels A Beautiful Blue Death and The September Society by Charles Finch.  Fiction?!?!  I learned from a professor in college that reading fiction expands your imagination so now whenever I feel like I’m not using my creativity or that I’m getting too bogged down in the everyday challenges I read fiction.  These books would be great for book clubs and reading groups. Also, here’s a blog he wrote on recommendations to people wanting to become authors. Good advice I think.

In addition, I’ve been reading “Made to Stick”.  Why do we remember some slogans, commercials and theme songs for ages  and forget others that we have just seen?  Some things stick in our mind.  They are “sticky”.  This book share how to make sure your message sticks in the mind of your customers.  Must read for communicators and businesses. 

Video:  Successful people are those who love what they do.  We’ve heard this many times.  This video on TED.com is a great illustration of how this works.  How those who are fullfilled and in a ‘flow’ succeed.  Just over 18 min.  but I’d definately recommend you watch it all…interesting.

David 

The leadership staff and directors of the Tacoma Rescue Mission met all day Wednesday and Thursday of this week to go help shape a budget for the fiscal year that starts July 01, 2009 and runs through June of 2010.  Here’s an earlier blog on some of the issues we took into the meeting.  

Let me begin by saying thank you to Sue Horgen, the Chief Financial Officer of the Tacoma Rescue Mission for all the work she puts into preparing and managing this budget process.  She is truly a gift to this organization and the important work we do to help transform lives of the homeless of Pierce County.  In addition, thanks are in order to the Directors who worked hard to give us an accurate picture of their needs, challenges and dreams for their programs and staff.  Everybody came prepared and that made the process much easier than in years past. 

On the whole, here are some of the major issues which we will be presenting in our budget to the finance committee and board in the the month of June.

1.  We are budgeting create a new pay-band for our shift managers that would bring all staff members who make under $10 an hr. to above $10.  We will do this by adding $1 an hr. to those who fit this description.  This would mean that a shift manager who makes $9.75 an hr. would make $10.75 effectly July 1.  There are several employees who fit this criteria and this will be a large financial committment.

2.  We are committing to incrementally adding staff to our Women and Family Ministries in anticipation of the completion of Adams Sq..  This means that we are budgeting the addition of two positions in this department in the new budget.  

3.  We are creating a new Youth Ministries Dept. in which James Leet will be a Director.  Previously  our Youth Ministries was a subset of Tyler Sq. and the Family Shelter.  There will be increased program and equipment supplies for this new department.

4.  Need a Break Ministries will seek to increase support of Families living on the edge.  We have budgeted these funds so that we can help those families who need car, home repairs but because of the tough financial times could not otherwise do these projects – thus making it even harder them to get to work, interviews etc.  

5.  Benefits to staff are untouched in this budget and remain fully funded.  

6.  Physical improvements to facilities are various.  We have hopes of improving the exercise room in for New Life Program, replacing the playtoy and addition a half court basketball court to Tyler Sq., to name a few of the larger ticket items.  These are things we budget, but only spend once the money has been identified and positive budget trends for the fiscal year are clear. Thanks again for your help in making this happen.  If you have any questions let me know.  

David

As a hard-core information junkie, I read, listen and browse a lot of news throughout my day.  Knowing what is going on is absolutely essential for me as the CEO of the Tacoma Rescue Mission.  What’s happening in the state legislature, economic markets, and larger social trends all affect the work we do here in one way or another.  I read two newspapers a day, The News Tribune and Wall Street Journal, and read numerous other articles on twitter and the internet.  In addition I watch some news programs like Charlie Rose.   

I say all that just to prove that I’m not someone who advocates putting your head in the sand and pretending that nothing is going on in the world around you.  Quite the opposite!  Everyone should make a habit of being connected and interested in the world around you.  Read, watch, and contribute to the daily battle around you. 

But this weeks coverage of the Swing Flu pandemic is yet another example of why you CANNOT allow your emotions to be controlled by media coverage of events.  I’ve seen normally rational people dive head-first into the deep end of the “panic” swimming pool after hearing the accumulative affect of the news media’s coverage of this illness.  

The number 1 product for sale today in the media is PANIC!!!!!  But it’s not just the Swing Flu, it’s the economy, bankers, drugs, crime, pop culture, you name it.  The world at large is driven by sensational stories and media and political leaders in particular seek to break through the clutter of news by whipping up more panic and being the first one to “own” the subject. 

The affect on people is a more pessimistic and negative approach to real problems.  Just when we should be thinking of solutions and possibilities we are knocked one peg lower by more bad news.  

Here’s the solution:  

1.  Be skeptical of “Doomsday” news.  News media sells ad space by leading with “worst ever” and “It’s all over” type stories.  Bad things do happen, but if you critical follow the media for long you’ll notice that “it’s all over” doesn’t mean it’s necessarily “all over”.  Things get better too, that just doesn’t make news.  

2.  Surround yourself with positive people.  It’s hard to have perspective when you are close to a problem so you need people around you who can help you see the upside and potential solutions to your challenges.  It won’t be hard to find negative people…they’re everywhere.  But you’ll have to work to find positive people.  Want a clue where to look?  Go to places where people are in action, doing great things.  Churches, Gyms, Community Centers, libraries, public markets, etc.  That’s why the Tacoma Rescue Mission is such a positive place…we’re actively trying to solve problems that are holding people back.

3.  Always look for the positive.  Guiding the Tacoma Rescue Mission, I see my share of Super-sized problems; homelessness, abuse, drug abuse, abusive parents, prostitution, etc.  Nevertheless, I can tell you that I’ve never seen a problem that could not be solved with faith, effort and the right people working toward a common goal.  Unfortunately, many people never even try to solve their problems, they just complain about them.  

You’ll never know if your problem can be solved if you just throw up your hands and give up.     

This summer the Tacoma Rescue Mission is focusing on building relationships with our donors through a number of events.  For the past two summers we have done Coffee House events that have been a big success, allowing donors to come meet with me at a coffee shop near them and discuss the Mission and get acquainted.  This summers events have been scheduled and I’d welcome you to attend any of these informal get-togethers:

Gig Harbor -Cutters Point (olympic dr.)  June 18th  

University Place – Forza Coffee (bridgeport way) June 25  

Steilacoom – Starbucks (Steilacoom Blvd) July 9  

Parkland – Starbucks (15803 Pac. Ave.) July 16th  

Tacoma – Mandolin Cafe (3923 12th) July 23rd  

Puyallup – Forza (Pioneer Ave – downtown)  

South Hill – Starbucks (17520 Meridian) August 6th  

Fife – Starbucks (4756 Pac. Hwy)  August 13th All Events are at 2pm.

In addition, we are not having an annual Golf Tournament and instead are encouraging any Rescue Mission supporters who love golf to call my office and schedule a time to golf with me.  This will be a much more personal way for us to enjoy golf and get to know each other.  Contact Jann at janns@trm.org or at 253-383-4462 

I’d love to get to personally answer any questions about our work at the Mission and get to know those who make it all possible.  Please make a point to engage in one of these opportunities. 

David 

In recent weeks we have been redesigning our Alumni Program for New Life Graduates here at the Tacoma Rescue Mission to better ensure that we are able to support and encourage grads in their sobriety.  Marlene Hamilton is the new Alumni Director and she is building the program with the help of social network websites like Facebook and Twitter.  If you are interested in Facebook, here’s a blog on how to get started.

Here’s what we are asking Alumni to do:

1.  Contact Marlene at Marleneh@trm.org and get in touch so that we can encourage you and stay in touch.

2.  Sign up for Facebook or Twitter and follow Marlene, myself and others on the Tacoma Rescue team.  We post lessons, sermons, articles, scriptures that will encourage you to become the person you were designed to be.

3.  Share your lessons and encouragements with others.  Many people are struggling with the same things you have conquered and you can be an encouragement to the people recovering from drugs and alcohol.  Don’t let your valuable experience go to waste.

4.  Let us know of other alumni that you may be in touch with that we are not aware of.  We are family, lets stay close. 

David 

Words are funny things.  When I was a kids we would say someone  was “yellow” if they showed cowardice, or “blue” if they were sad.  Now you can say people are “green” if they try to be environmentally sensitive in the way they manage their life.  Here are the Mission we have always been “green” in the sense that we use pre-owned things and recycle items given to us to manage our operations.  But in addition we began a program in 2008 called the “Green Donor” program.

The Green Donor program allows individual donors to automate their monthly giving and receive all of their donor information, newsletters and correspondence, by email.  This benefits the donor in that they can make giving a easy and regular part of their lifestyle without feeling like they are being inundated with mail.

On occasion I have heard from donors that they wish we would send fewer pieces of mail.  I totally understand the frustration of getting a lot of mail.  However, our data shows that almost no one thinks to send money unless they are sent a reminder.  The Green Donor Program answers these conflicting concerns – regular giving is automated and no physical mail is sent.  It’s great compromise.  Those who are in the program give us good feedback.

 Secondly, it answers a concern I have about the rising cost of printing and postage.  With more people sending emails instead of mail, the cost of mail will only go up.  As an organization we have to begin to ween ourselves off of paying postage.  It’s a leap of faith, because as I mentioned earlier nearly %100 of our private dollars are from our mailed reminders.

If you are a regular monthly donor or perhaps you are considering it, think about becoming a Green Donor.  Contact windyb@trm.org to sign up.  If you work at a charity and have more examples of how we might be more environmentally sensitive and use technology to raise funds to support our important work, please let me know.  

David 

If you’ve been following me on Twitter or Facebook then you know I’ve been researching and writing a book on how we often “Enable” people in our lives in their bad habits.  Enabling means, “to make easier”.Sometimes we do this through paying the bills for someone in addiction, covering their tracks for them, or by making excuses for their behavior to others when you know it’s about addiction.  Many of us know that enabling others is harmful and counter productive, but we fail to realize when we are doing it ourselves.  Here’s my request.  If you’ve ever been used by an addict, you’ve enabled, or you have been the addict that has used others to make your life easier – I’d love to hear from you.  You can post a brief thought here on the blog and include your email in the set-up and I’ll touch base with you.  I need as many illustrations as I can get for types of enabling.  One thing I know for sure, this book is going to help many people and I would appreciate your help with it.DC